It’s always a little surprising to learn a lot of people want to write well, but they aren’t taking advantage of the one course of action they can take to help them accomplish their goal.
I can’t blame them (you?).
Any finger pointing should first be done at myself, because I constantly forget the secret to putting words together in a way that convinces, inspires, and welcomes.
It first dawned on my when I was 10.
Mom enrolled me in a creative writing workshop. At the end of the day, the instructor read my carefully composed short story. He looked at me and said: “I can tell from your writing… you read a lot, don’t you?”
Reading for Writing
It shouldn’t be surprising to any of us - really - that reading a lot makes your writing exponentially better. Famous writers have been talking about it over and over again for quite a while.
If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that, says Stephen King. If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. (more on this last part later)
Read, read, read, says William Faulkner. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write.
Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river, says Lisa See.
Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write, says Annie Proulx.
Listen, I’m not trying to romanticize reading or writing. Many of us will not - nor do we want to - become world famous authors. But we all write in real life. It’s a part of the fabric of our culture.
Whether you’re writing sales phone scripts, email marketing campaigns, advertising for the back of a Wheaties box, or your granny’s birthday card… writing is a common thread running through every part of our life.
And reading can help us do it better AND less painfully.
Take it from me, this works.
My recommendation is not to worry so much about how much you read. The length of what you’re reading and how many words you’re reading in a given week don’t matter too much. In my experience, the variety of genres and writing styles matters more.
For example, I switch up reading between a newspaper, non-fiction how-to guide, fictional mystery novel, and industry blog post every week. My brain gets exposed to many different authors and styles of writing. Different words, phrases, and storylines are used in each piece.
Intuitively, I’m picking up how to compose words more logically. I see how others express themselves, and can borrow that language if I need to in the future.
And that brings me to the second part of writing well.
Writing for Writing
Reading is the foundation of writing well, yes. And it is SO easy, considering how much people (including myself) struggle with writing.
But there’s actually another side to this coin, too...
To write well, you must practice doing it.
You could watch The Master’s and the PGA Tour and your dad at the local course every day. You’d learn the fundamentals of golf by doing this, no question. And you’d have a head start when it comes to learning and playing the sport. But would you automatically be a pro? Of course not.
You’d have to actually go out and do it. A lot.
Without putting what’s in your brain into your brawn, there’s no way you can actually learn anything well. So to get better at writing, you must read AND write. A lot.
Again, this isn’t super formal and there are no rules tied to it. The point is just to get words down on paper. Some ideas:
- When you finish reading a book, write a book report. Remember these from elementary school? Simple stuff: Characters, plot, scenes. And of course, analysis. Share it with someone(s) you know, or just keep it for yourself.
- Keep a journal. As someone who’s done this since she was eight years old, I can tell you it’s worked wonders for my writing skills. It’s also a nice little stress reliever.
- When replying to an email (either personal or work-related), type your response and then wait as long as you can before hitting the send button. Re-read the email as many times as you can within your allotted time period. This allows you to revise and rework. And believe me, your writing will get better each time.
- Write a letter. To your Aunt Bev, to your college roommate overseas, to your nephew who still thinks snail mail is the bomb (honestly, who doesn’t though?). Letters are a great way to practice conversational and thoughtful writing. Especially because once those words are on the page, you can’t backspace and start over.
Remember what Stephen King said earlier?
If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.
Reading A LOT and writing A LOT go hand in hand.
Believe me when I say if you do these things, when you need to write something important, the perfect words will seemingly flow off the tips of your fingers like magic.
So what
I hear ya. Why the heck does writing well matter? In a world of automatic spell check and grammar check - when we have tools like Hemingway Editor to make us sound oh-so-good - putting words together well doesn’t seem to be a need-to-have anymore.
Here’s your answer: Writing well is directly tied to how much money you (can) make.
For real. Putting sentences together in a coherent manner just doesn’t cut it anymore. At this point, anyone and almost everyone can do that.
But writing well means you bring two things to the table that NO ONE else can offer. These two characteristics that will win you hearts and pocketbooks?
Personality. And professionalism.
Be honest with yourself. Can you easily insert your unique personality into every email you write to a prospective customer? A seasoned email writer can. And he or she can do it while remaining completely professional and polite.
Pay attention here, folks. This is important.
If you are a working person - freelance, own your own business, work for another company, mow lawns for $10 an hour - this applies to you.
No one is going to hand over their money to a cold, faceless corporation. Someone who will “save you time and money!” A company that “cares about you!” People aren’t stupid. They will call bull on that redundant corporate pedantry 10 times out of 10.
But someone who has a personality, who can show in their writing they’re an actual-living-breathing human being? YES. I will give you my money every time.
So in other words, writing well isn’t just about improving yourself. It’s about surviving and thriving. It leads directly to living the kind of life you want to live.
And isn’t that worth it?
Get off the struggle bus
The majority of author quotes I didn’t share aren’t about how great writing is. How easy and fun and relaxing this skill is to learn. Quite the opposite, most writers sound like they’re about to be guillotined or sacrificed on an ancient altar. Pretty dramatic, not going to lie.
So if you HATE the thought of writing, if you absolutely dread putting words to a page, you’re not alone. In fact, most of us are in the same boat.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. In fact, so much of your moving forward in life depends on it. And it doesn’t have to be painful. Imagine just picking up one of your favorite reads every week and automatically becoming better at writing? Imagine writing your BFF an email update every week and - all of a sudden - writing coming easier and easier to you?
It’s not a pipe dream, friend. It’s become reality for me, and it can be for you, too.
Happy writing!
P.S. Have you seen the positive effects of reading and writing on your ability to write? Do you have additional valuable tips that have helped you improve your writing skills? Spill the beans in the comments!